National Ice Cream Day 2018 is this Sunday, July 15, and plenty of ice cream shops are embracing the big day by giving out free ice cream. While some of the country’s favorite ice cream shops like Ben & Jerry’s and Haagen-Dazs don’t have any National Ice Cream Day freebies this year, other big ice cream sellers — including Baskin-Robbins and Carvel — have great deals.

Ice cream was the treat of choice for many on Sunday. It was National Ice Cream Day.

Newswatch 16 stopped by Mountain Freeze in Mountain Top where people were filling up on the frozen dessert.

It was an appropriately hot day for people to enjoy some ice cream.

Here are all the best free ice cream deals for National Ice Cream Day 2018

Baskin-Robbins

Customers with the Baskin-Robbins mobile app will get access to a few special offers for National Ice Cream Day 2018, including buy-one-get-one-free cones, $2 off medium milk shakes, and a $.99 sundae when you buy one at regular price.

Carvel

For National Ice Cream Day 2018, Carvel will give you a free cup or cone of soft-serve ice cream in any size when you buy one at regular price.

Whole Foods

For National Ice Cream Day 2018 on Sunday, all Whole Foods stores offer a special deal: two pints of Ben & Jerry’s or Talenti ice cream for $6. Amazon Prime members get an extra 10% off. And Prime members who spend $10 or more at Whole Foods can get a free $10 credit to use at Amazon during Amazon Prime Day 2018 sales, which kick off at 3 p.m. on Monday, July 16, and stretch out over 36 hours.

Yogurtland

From 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on National Ice Cream Day 2018, customers at Yogurtland locations around the country can get a free order of ice cream when they purchase one at regular price. The flavors included with the buy-one, get-one-free deal are: chocolate, vanilla, chocolate malt ball with Whoppers, butter pecan, and Oreo Cookies and Crème.

Mark your calendar and SAVE THE DATE for our National Ice Cream Day event on July 15th from 1-6PM!

Dippin’ Dots

Dippin’ Dots stores around the country are giving free mini cups of Dippin’ Dots to customers on Sunday for National Ice Cream Day. Exact times for the giveaways vary by location, but a spokesperson says many stores will offer free ice cream in roughly two-hour windows around noon.

PetSmart

All PetSmart stores with PetHotel facilities are giving away dog-safe ice cream for free on Sunday for National Ice Cream Day 2018.

Your Pie

The deal for National Ice Cream Day 2018 at Your Pie is free gelato for all customers, no purchase required. The freebie is available at 50+ participating Your Pie locations around the country on Sunday, July 15.

Monkey Joe’s

Customers get free ice cream cups on Sunday while supplies last at Monkey Joe’s, an indoor play center for kids.

Cumberland Farms

From 8 a.m. until closing on Sunday, text the word SCOOPS to 64827 and you’ll get an offer for $1 off any pint of Cumberland Farms Ultimate Scoops Ice Cream.

16 Handles

For National Ice Cream Day 2018, 16 Handles customers who have downloaded the 16 Handles rewards app get their first three ounces of frozen yogurt and toppings for free.

Notable Things

Ice cream dates back thousands of years. It’s long been beloved by Americans and people around the world. Modern statistics show just how much people adore the dessert today.

In celebration of National Ice Cream Day, here’s a look at eight things you probably didn’t know about the creamy summertime favorite.

1. Ice cream is older than you think.

Ice cream dates back to ancient times. Alexander the Great reportedly enjoyed snow and ice flavored with nectar and honey, while the Roman emperor Nero Claudius Caesar sent runners into the mountains for snow, which was flavored with juice.

In the 1300s, Marco Polo brought an early version of ice cream — resembling a modern-day sherbet — back to Europe after his global travels.

By the late 1700s, American high society enjoyed ice cream as a delicacy. And in 1776, America’s first ice cream parlor opened in New York.

2. Even ice cream cones are more than a century old.

Concessions vendors invented ice cream cones at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri, according to Ben and Jerry’s. They were designed to help people eat ice cream easily while enjoying the fair’s attractions.

The “sundae” dates back to the 1890s. Ice cream merchants introduced a non-carbonated version of ice cream soda to serve on Sundays in response to criticism of the rich ice cream soda as too sinful for the Sabbath.

3. There’s a considerable amount of science behind ice cream.

Ice cream contains microscopic air bubbles that keep it nice and fluffy. When it melts, the air bubbles collapse. So, if you refreeze melted ice cream, it’ll be less soft.

There’s science behind brain freeze, too. When a cold substance touches the roof of the mouth, the blood vessels running between the mouth and the brain tense up, trapping blood in the brain. That extra pressure causes mild pain.

4. Ice cream is adored around the world.

New Zealand consumes the most ice cream of any country, measured by the gallons per person per year, according to icecream.com. The United States is second, followed by Australia, Finland and Sweden.